New Hainesville chief leaving for Lake Villa
Police Chief Ron Roth said his decision to leave the newly formed Hainesville Police Department was one of the toughest of his life.
"I mean't it when I said it really comes with many mixed emotions," he said. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for Hainesville and what has been done here. But this is a career decision. I'm taking over a department three times the size of this one."
With that, Roth announced he'll leave Hainesville to take over as chief of the Lake Villa Police Department.
He'll replace longtime chief Roger Visconti, who is retiring.
Roth said he'll start his new job Nov. 3. The Lake Villa board accepted Visconti's resignation earlier this week.
Visconti is on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment.
Lake Villa Deputy Chief Roger Schroeder said the department is looking forward to Roth coming in, despite sadness over Visconti's departure.
"I'll definitely miss the current chief, obviously, but change is a good thing," Schroeder said. "It'll definitely be exciting around here."
Roth spent 28 years working at the Antioch Police Department, starting off as a patrolman before retiring from there as a deputy chief.
He was then tapped this past January to take over in Hainesville, which was starting up its own department after splitting off from neighboring Round Lake Park.
Roth said the experience of building the Hainesville department from scratch was extremely rewarding and an incredible team effort.
"I was very fortunate to have the outstanding crew I did there and the support of the village for what we did," he said. "It was definitely a team effort to get things going."
Through 1999, Hainesville had a part-time police force, but state requirements for officers changed that year, forcing Hainesville to partner with the neighboring Round Lake Park Police Department for the next nine years. That relationship ended Feb. 10, following a dispute over the cost of services.
Roth took over as chief in January and got the Hainesville department up and running in April. The force now includes four full-time and six part-time officers.
"Like I said, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the department as I leave," he said. "This is a career move and an opportunity for me to be the chief of a larger department with more residents."